Conduit tractor



J. R. JORDAN CONDUIT TRACTOR Oct. 27, 1931.

Filed May 31, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 In venior Fatented (lot. 27, 1931 UNITED'STATES JAMES R. JORDAN, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA GONDUIT TRACTOR M Application filed May 31,

- This inventionrelates to an improved automatically operable and self acting tractor expressly intended to pull lead wires through underground conduits, pipes, and the like.

55 It is a matter of common knowledge that considerable trouble is encountered, and many handicaps faced in pulling cables through conduits. Organizations who lay and maintain underground cables face the N problem of getting the lead wires through the ducts. This lead wire, as is well known is a light weight wire used to pull a steel cable through. The steel cable is used to pull the electric cable.

Under ordinary conditions the common method of getting the lead wire through is to use four foot wooden rods which have a hook on one end and an eye on the other end. One rod or stick is pushed into the duct and another hooked onto it and pushed forward and so on until the next man hole is reached by the first rod, then the lead wire is fastened on to the last rod and the rods are pulled through and disconnected in the second man hole. By this method a rodding gang of approximately eight men can pull about four thousand feet of wire in an eight hour day.

Being familiar with the difficulties experienced and expense attached to this method of rodding and wire pulling, I have conceived and evolved and produced what I believe to be a modernized and practicable machine for doing this work. The machine is in the form of a tractor whose configuration is such as to permit it to be placed in the conduit, and it includes an electric motor, which when started causes the machine to literally crawl through and to pull the wires attached thereto.

Stated otherwise I have developed what I believe to be an unusual contribution to this art which is comparatively compact, convenient, economical and otherwise well fitted for fulfilling the requirement of -a tractor or machine of this class.

The particular structural details and relative arrangement and association of the parts will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the drawings:

1929. Serial No. 367,597.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the complete tractor as constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 22 of F igure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line 33 of Figure 4/ v Figure 4 is a central vertical longitudinal section through the rear half of the device.

Figure 5 is a view in section and elevation of the forward half.

Figures 6 and 7 are transverse vertical sections taken approximately on the plane of the line 6-6 and line 7 7, respectively, of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a topplan view of a resilient rollerbracket.

Figure 9 is a view of a slightly modified embodiment of the invention.

A general understanding of the invention may be had 'by referring especially to Figures 1, l, and 5. The tractor is composed of a plurality of sections of general cylindrical cross section in configuration, whereby to permit it to be placed in an ordinary electric conduit and to crawl there'through unhampered. At the forward end I provide a thrust nose in the form of a substantially cylindrical cap 10 constructed to accommodate, an anti-frictionroller 11. The peripheral portion of the roller is exposed in order to permit it to rest in rolling contact with the internal surface of the conduit (not shown). This so called thrust nose is to be of a diameter slightly less than the conduit and is intended to engage any objects that may be in the conduit and to force them out to prevent unimpeded travel of the tractor through the conduit. This nose forming cap is fas tened to the forward end of a tubular motor housing 12 as seen particularly in Figure 5. An appropriate electric motor of substantially one-half horse power is arranged in this housing. The shaft 13 and the motor passes through a closing disc 14. where it is coupled as at 15 with the driven shaft 16, the driven shaft is mounted for rotation in an intermediate part or section of the device. This part is made to provide bearings for rotatable' mounting of the driven shaft 16. Then at one end it is formed to accommodate the power transmission means, for instance there is a beveled pinion 17 mounted on the shaft 16 and in mesh with a beveled gear 18 on the transverse horizontal shaft 19. v This shaft as shown in Figure 3 is mounted in appro- P lee i e sa in; th st a ez tas iis intermediate section-.- This base "is of the approximate configuration shown inuFigure 3 to .permit it to ride through the conduit,

The shaft 19 is provided withasprocket wheel 21 and a chain 22 is trained overgthis;

and is connected with a complemental sprocket 23 on a spacedparallelpower take.

f haft, 2 This ats msd e s P -rbstt stricture? ic ud sgae @Piimhfiddh fied shellmaid p of eqtigens .25 djifi s 1 M 'efisur Qurint an be i i' p e the motor in'any suitable manner. i

V he ema nder. srer dim fi c device co'mprises suitably shaped body avin a lspeedi igfrib ZSi S iQ l 9P r e a e in vf9? t egi ai. id ing s aft 9.- Ths; is ia ftflf a ri s. the pul y 3 am" t shaft 29the pulleys 31, ovr'which' endless st onbslfis. Ba t a n d hes sl a Q hfir s n i ifis1 iti 1s e n Figuresfl," 6 andlffoi' instance, in? order to permit tlieiri to conform to the internal shape ft e a re sy nd iqa ,cq di t. T -s erence character 32 designates longitudinal beltguards which prevent displacementof thebelts and ride in contact with the surface of the conduit. reference character 33 aesis tes as apertures 131g withwliichthe wire (not shown) is connected. "In addition I provide roller k jrackets 34 of the design seen in Figure 8.* ':These brackets are inounted on the body 27 within a suitably, shaped recess and are; provided with anti-friction the requirement of a structure of this class. It is thought persons familiar with wire pulling and manual rodding will appreciate the practicability and advantages and features accompanying a-machine of this kind. Therefore a-more lengthy description is regarded unnecessary. U

rangement of details coming within the field sidesof thesaid rearwardlydisposedportiqn and extending .forlthefiill length-ofsaidl'eare Wardly .disp'osed ,p.orti n,r al-.m0t0i:initlie said forwardly disposed p.o.rtio;n,;. a .d riving,l con; nection between the said motor aild lthe. traction; beltspand belt. guards ,on topp'o 'iiz sidesof the-said .rearwardly: .dis'p9sd1.I.-,

shaped portion of the body and .fermmg. (10.11:,

tinuations .1 of the head. of thefT saidbelt guardsand traction-belts having d l ersaifelh ate surfaces .in.-.conformity. with the circular cross section.oflthe said forwardly disposed portionof.thetractoiz e:: In testimony whereof :LaifiX mysigna sr V .7 JAMES R; JORDAN.

rollers 35; which are shaped as seen in 6 and which bear against the uppeipr crown portion. oftlie'condliit. The resilient action Serves i e tension belt firi irdow efiective traction." W e In consldering Flgure it will be observed against the bottom of the conduit to insure that the"only distinction here is that the traction belts 36- are' of a flat surface configuration for use in conduits withsquare cross section andlike .wisethe guards 37 vary in shapeto'correspond thereto.

"alt is therefore seen that it iswith-i-n the scope otztheizinvention to have the configurat1on= of thedevice-vary according to thepa'rticular shape of the conduit which it is to From the foregoingdescriptionand drawings-it will be-seen that I have developed an unusually animated creature "like tractor which isstarted'at-oneend of the conduit with wires-attached theretoand which is self acting-in carrying' thewiresthrough to the oppositesend. se l-f acting and self guidln'g tractor is well adapted for fulfilling 

